Barcelona may hog all the column inches when it comes to spectacular displays of firework football – and yet, this season, Bayern Munich have been impressive.
The last time the two football giants met, in the 2012/13 season in the Champions League final, Bayern Munich cruised to a seven-nil aggregate victory. They went on to lift the cup – and reach a historic treble – after an all-German final at Wembley Stadium, winning against rivals Borussia Dortmund with goals from Mario Mandzukic and man of the match Arjen Robben.
The two now meet on Friday, August 14 for a Champions League quarter-final that promises to be scintillating.
The Catalans arrive to the semi-final at Benfica’s Estadio da Luiz in Lisbon after having seen off Napoli in the quarter finals. Their star player, Lionel Messi, scored a trademark goal against Gennaro Gattuso’s side and was in inspiring form throughout the 90 minutes. The Champions League is Barcelona’s only hope for some silverware this season, having surrendered the La Liga title by five points to eternal rivals Real Madrid – so they will surely give their all to progress further and reach their first final after their last triumph in 2014-15, when they beat Juventus to lift the prestigious cup a fifth time.
And while against Napoli, the Catalans had their men numbered in midfield, for their semi-final against Bayern Munich, they can count on the return from suspension of Arturo Vidal and Sergio Busquets. And that adds plenty of experience – and firepower – to their guns.
While Barcelona have their talisman in the shape of Lionel Messi, Bayern Munich, on the other hand, also have their star player – Robert Lewandowski.
This season, the Polish striker is proving why he is widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation. He helped his team see off Chelsea with an imposing 7-1 victory – and in the process, he scored his 53 goal of the season, in just 44 competitive matches. With his goals against Chelsea, he has to date bagged 13 goals from seven Champions League appearances this season, moving into fourth in the all-time scoring list with a total of 66 goals.
But Bayern Munich are not just Lewandowski. The German champions are unbeaten since December – that is a run of 27 competitive games. They have already secured a domestic double and, under coach Hansi Flick, have had the best group stage in Champions League history. And stats show how strong they are in every department – scoring a massive 104 goals this season and conceding just 24.
Historically, Bayern Munich have the better of Barcelona, winning six of the 10 competitive matches to date. But both teams have enough experience – they are both five-time European champions and both have reached the Champions League quarter-finals 18 times – and skill on the field to make their clash a memorable one.
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